THANKS for stopping by, I do my best to acknowledge when someone leaves a comment,you do not have to be a member here & everyone is welcome.
Ps: This site is monitored but not actively posting on a regular basis. Mostly these are stories & some photos saved from a defunct site known as Verdun Connections which was on MSN Groups initially then on a social network called Multiply.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

2nd Avenue

3rd Avenue is well represented here, especially between Verdun and Bannantyne, but what about lowly 2nd Avenue between Wellington and Verdun? Am I the only one? I enjoy all the posts no matter how alien. Kidding.S.A.

47 comments:

Hey biking2006 I lived @ 316 2nd ave (West side between Wellington & Verdun) from 1971-1977. We lived on the 3rd flat of a Triplex.We lived across from a convenience store run by a Husband & Wife (Bert & ?). He was a angry, little old man who hated kids. My Stepfather also lived on 2nd, but further down toward Lasalle blvd (Bill Malcolm).

Earl I rememeber that little store and the lawtons who lived above it. I lived across from a convienence store further up the street 457. I could be wrong but I think that particular store is gone now. However our paths probably never crossed as I left 2nd Avenue in 1959, but great to hear from a second Avenuer. Bill

I lived on Second Ave, but below Wellington (159), until '62, then moved to Manning. Did you know David Wiper? He lived in the single house (not a flat--the only one on the street) just above Wellington, beside the lane. He changed his name to David Fennario and is a well-known playwright in Quebec. Wayne Youngward

Hi Wayne, Yep, I knew David. He and my brother Ray were and still are best friends. I remember going to his house once and there were a bunch of people sitting around drinking beer while his wife Liz ran around in a frenzy trying to do what? I don't remember. Dave sat there at the table not saying a word like he was the king of his castle overlooking his subjects. It was a hoot! I remember the house was full of hangers on and walking into this room with a bookcase loaded with never opened books on Marxism. At that time, I was told David never read them---just show. Well, you believe what you believe and he was one lucky dude to have Podbrey do his plays. I read his journal Blue Mondays and an actor friend of mine was in On the Job and Nothing to lose at the Centaur. I have copies of the plays. The writing was so so, but brilliantly directed. A good director can made a bad play look good and vice versa. I worked in theatre in Montreal's sixties and seventies so I know what I talk of. (I also wrote two plays that were produced at that time.) Balconville was well written and Fennario will always be known for that. Understand he recently wrote a sequel to Balconville called Condoville but wasn't well received. Those were heady days. Didn't he have some club called the Black Rock cafe in Verdun? We've had conversations here about Fennario and unfortunately some people took my views personally. I'm a writer too and you know, if you put your work out there, be prepared for criticism. It's all part of the game. If you don't like it, don't play. Wayne, did you ever go to his house? Were you one of the groupies? Did you know my brother Ray Filip? Dolly

Hi Dolly and Mike I knew David when we were at VHS. I was at his house on 2nd Avenue a couple of times but we were 14 or 15. When I moved from 2nd, I didn't really run into him much. I had completely forgotten about him until I read an article about David Fennario and the article gave his original name. Oddly enough, I had read Balconville many years ago but never made the connection to the kid I had known. I certainly wasn't a groupie! I left Montreal in '76 for the Wild West and ended up in the Great White North (Edmonton). Wayne

Hi Dolly We live in Castle Downs, but when we first moved to Edmonton ('02) we had a little house in Montrose. It was two storey, but I've developed a bad knee and the stairs were bothering me, so we bought a bungalow here. We lived in Lethbridge for 11 years, and before that, 11 years in the little village of Foremost (near the US border). We were in the Peace River area for 4 years before that. I "retired" from the public school system (26 years in Alberta and 9 in Quebec) in '02, but I couldn't stay home so I'm teaching Senior High at an independant school (Concordia). I've only been back to Montreal a half dozen times since we've been here, and when I go back I recognize less and less each time. So, I guess I'm a real Albertan now! How about you? Wayne

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Hi Wayne, You sure moved around! Wow! I have a friend who lives in the Castledowns area and some writer friends in Lethbridge and in Grande Prairie. What a thriving arts community is up there! People in the Peace Country are so creative and then you have the oilpatch up there and the cold which can be depressing. I know Concordia. What do you teach? My husband is from here. Born in Stettler, but lived mostly in Edmonton. Hitch hiked through Canada (we were all doing that in the late/early sixties/seventies and met me in 1971 so stayed. After the PQ took power in 76 he wanted to come back here but I just couldn't. God bless him he respected my wishes. But by 1990, I was also fed up with the stress of living in Montreal and all that political rot and it was his turn as he hadn't seen his family and his parents were in their seventies. We also had to consider the future for our son so I left a good job to take a chance here in 1993. I live in the Jackson Heights area (southside) and I have no regrets. The first year was difficult to get accustomed to the culture and I cried every night for 3 months because I missed the familiar. We came when Klein had just been elected and no jobs and everyone was leaving. So 14 years later and here I am. I've done things here that I never would have been able to do if I had stayed in Montreal. Met some fabulous inspiriational people. Sometimes you have to take a risk. Ed, I went to VCH so I'm afraid I don't know that teacher. BTW I'll be 60 in November but I'm told I don't look it although my body sometimes feels 100 while my spirit and mind is still somewhere in my thirties! Not surprised that Fennario is running. My mother would have a heart attack if she knew! Glad to be out of that political nonsense! Dolly.

Dolly and Wayne.....we moved to Nova Scotia in 1972...left for various reasons.....we said we'd give it a year, well it is 34 years later and we are still here....and the first few weeks I bawled every night!!! We love it here and can't imagine living any where else.....we do visit Montreal/Verdun/Cote St Paul quite often. Over the years we have seen the many changes in Montreal...it is still a great city.....wonderful to visit. Dianne

Dolly, There is a reason I asked about Tal Jones. He was a highly respected English teacher at VHS who used to encourage writers. The others teachers all spoke highly of his teaching skills. In grade nine he said to me, "Bruin," in that thick Welsh brogue of his, " Your poems and stories are wonderful. After the holiday (Christmas) you're going to come to my class two afternoons a week. I'm going to make a writer out of you.' I was on cloud nine. I worshipped the man and the fact that he approved of my one really greaty subject." After Christmas, I went to the staff room to ask for him and they told me he had been killed in an accident over the holiday. I hung on for a few months and then went out and got a job. Funny how different things might have been. Life takes some strange turns, I might have been a speechwriter for George Bush. Ed

Ed. That is so sad. A person who was to affect your life, and who lifted you up, is suddenly taken away. What a traumatic moment for you. It brings tears to my eye just thinking about that time. How devastated you must have been. It is strange that you mention something like that tonight. When I picked up my wife from work tonight, I somehow got on the subject of just a moment in time that can change your life. Just being 5 minutes early or 5 minutes late in your travels, or taking a different route to go somewhere can make a change in your life. It could be an accident, or something you see that can affect you. Or maybe nothing at all will happen. Thanks for sharing that with us.Winston Allison

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Ed, It's cliche, I know, but I've always believed things happen for a reason. The thing is, this teacher believed in you and your talent. And it is never ever too late if that is your passion. We get these life road blocks sometimes that steer us in another direction---I call them life's intermissions----but then it's show time again! Time to get going again on the writing or whatever else is your passion. I know many writers here in their fifties who are just starting now. They had to put their dreams on hold because they had family obligations. I'm thinking of Gloria Swaii, Barbara Kingscote in their seventies both. It took Barbara 25 years to publish her memoir about riding a horse bareback across Canada. This was in 1949. Fascinating woman and the book has won an award. She had a story to tell and by George she did it! Can't dwell on what might have been. Make it happen now. Never too late. Remember your teacher believed in you so don't let him down. I wish I had known him but I had a similar teacher in Grade 9 at VCHS, Miss Copeland. I've talked about her here before so the regulars here will be bored and can skip this, but here was this 14 year old girl, shy as hell, no self esteem or confidence in herself and Miss Copeland tells me I can write. Nobody had ever told me until that time that I was good at anything! What a surprise and kick to my ego!She would have me read my compositions out loud to the class. To this day, I have the utmost respect for teachers. I had my hickups in life too like everyone does--- family obligations and my dreams put on the back burner, but Ed I tell you, don't give up. I'd love to read your poetry and stories and maybe you can share here. If you write to communicate with others, then you need to share! Dolly

Winston, I think about it every day, that moment, seconds maybe that can change your life. I don't know if it's age that makes us so aware of how precious life is and how vulnerable we are to experiencing change in the snap of a finger! Di, in case I wasn't clear, I too think Montreal is a fabulous dynamic city with so much style and creative energy and I love to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. It's not my Montreal any more. I carry with me fond memories of the city I remember and share with others here in my writing and conversations. Dolly

Dolly... I understood perfectly...I feel the same.....great place to visit....I love the Maritimes and the easy going nature of Maritimers...and they have no pretensions of grandeur.....money and wealth is not their main criteria...family and friends, that is what counts.

Hi Di, Re Maritimers. I agree. I've met quite a few of them here in Edmonton and they are so funny --- as they say (I think it was John Lennon) no flies on them! My boss got stranded in Halifax a couple of weekends ago when you guys had that big storm and one of the first things he said when he got back was that the people there were really nice. Dolly

Here's one of Ed's contribution's from a few months back,........ a Great Poem re: Remembrance Day....... From: Les__F Sent: 10/27/2006 9:39 PM Remembering Those at Fanders The Lord looked down & saw the fray being carried on below. As Soldiers Battled, Night & Day, to Save us from the Foe. & Men were dying everywhere,Father,Brother,Friend He knew the Brave Men Fought each day,an Evil,Godless Horde They Fought so Loved Ones,far away were Free to Praise the Lord. He Knew,that Loved Ones,lying there,Were Dying in His Name: He Thought a Tribute,Bright & Rare,would bring them Proper FameHe Grew for those,who Died that Day, a Poppy,where They Lie They grew for all the World: to say their Souls Would Never Die. For Every Man that Died out there,a Flower Bright he set,....... to Tell Mankind Most Everywhere,that HE would not Forget, So Noble deeds of Love,He marked that all their Souls,may Rest Pick up a Soul that GOD has blessed & pin it to Your Breast: .......by Ed Brown: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- well done Ed ,................You should share more of your work ,if You feel like;We'd appreciate it,........................

Dolly...the Americans still can't get over what the Maritimers did for them when they were stranded here during the aftermath of 9 -11.....that is just the way they are and I hope I have become like them...

Dolly... I haved lived here longer than I ever did in Montreal..so I guess by now I am a Maritimer....and having a wicked sense of humour.....well, I'd like to think that just comes naturally...it has gotten me in trouble once or twice..but I took the attitude that it was the other person's fault...ouch!.....and I apoogise for any harm done...but hey...if one can't have a laugh then what the hell is it all about, anyway! dianne

LOL!!!...And I always say to myself...I should proof read my posts befor I send them out.....oh, well, spelling was never one of my strong points...but i think you all get my drift..I was going to say my point....but I didn't think that was a good thing to say..!!!

So it's offically spring everywhere,..I would imagine that the snow has all but disappeared in Montreal by now? ...............and walking by the outdoor rinks at all of the parks in Verdun & areas,..........would have those lonely boards up, with the pavement showing through,.and those long trickles of water melting in the daytime,.......but freezing again at night,...and you knew that was it for the Winter stuff,.....maybe run & slide on the odd patches of ice you came across on your way to school,........but even if you got a few more dustings of snow,.you knew it was over,for the skates,......but the old ball hockey would still be around for a while yet ,.keeping those sidestreets,.and schoolyards still active for the diehard hockey games ,with that old broken stick you saved since you broke it,.cause you knew it had a few good games left in the old broken blade.................hahahahaha...I would imagine St Catherine has lost this look for a bit,.........Springtime and the time to get rid of those heavy coats etc etc...................Oh Well ,...time to get ready for Easter,.......and a large Egg with the Yolk ,..from Laura Secords,.........................always something to look forward to.........................

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We can buy HP Printers made in Mexico. We can buy shirts made inBangladesh. We can purchase almost anything we want from 20 differentcountries

BUT, heaven help the senior citizens who dare to buy theirprescription drugs from a Canadian pharmacy. That's calledun-American! And you think the pharmaceutical companies don't have apowerful lobby? Think again!

The reason for my previous post is because I have posted this message three time only to have it disappear each time. So I tried it in French and it worked Damn that parti quebecois. There fore all my posts must be in French or Italian. Since my French is lously and the only Italian I know is ‘O Sole Mio’ I will try typing posts in word and saving them before I post.As I was trying to say, my mind is whirling. It’s amazing how so many people you have never met can care so sincerely.I was commenting on how a teacher could change the direction of your life but we have to move on. That’s what our sister Lynn did when she was suddenly dumped by an uncaring individual. Well done Lynn, you give courage to all of us. I am writing. I’m working on a children’s book called. ‘Just Us’ So you see I look at it not as a verdict against me but simply as Just Us delayed. Sorry. Couldn’t resist.I thank you all for your inspiring words. I will post more later but right now the cat is pointing to the empty food dish, with one paw while flashing claws with the other. It’s his Yassar Arafat imitation. Remember when he went into the United Nations (Arafat, not theCat) with a rifle and an olive branch offering peace or war. I think he has a burnoose somewhere. (The cat, not Arafat)Remember the words to the old song;Look for the silver lining when e’er a cloud appears in the blue.Remember somewhere the sun is shiningAnd so the right thing to do is make it shine for you.A heart full of joy and gladness will always banish sorrow and strife.So Always look for the silver lining and try to findThe sunny side of life.Ed

Hi Ed I can empathise with the lack of cooperation on MSN's part today,.(lot's of difficulty just signing on).............Nice to see a book done for kids,Makes me think hope I will finally see Just Us done in this world......... (sorry but you started it...........hahahahaha)

Les Find it really slow to-day. Good to hear it is system for a minute there I thought it was me..hahahaha. That shot of Nickel's downtown...I was in there last week before I got on train to come back.Good breakfast and priced right..We had one here but went belly up...Forgot camera...was in Nick's,Grover's where it all fits..Norman's and Rex's. Few other places..I met Guy in cultural centre..Guy if you see this Hi.. God I want to hop in the car and head out now...dont want to fight traffic going thru T.O. so will wait for feeling to pass.. Can't wait to head back...funny when we were younger I figure alot of us could not wait to get out...now...??hey it is home... Take care all Lad

the lad: Lucky you ,at least you got a trip in,.........Funny how we change our thinking,.at one time I used to hop in the car & think nothing of heading off from Montreal in just about any direction,..Just for a Drive......................... or to head to NYC ,.or Boston,.......or toronto (if I had to).....hahahahaha ....I'd like to get achance to meet Guy in person one day ,.Did you get a toru of the SHGV ?.......and more importantly ,.did you gain any weight on your trip.....hahahathat's the true measure of a good trip to Montreal(aside from the family & friend factor of course)